Stock-car



Patented Feb. 7, I899. J. T. JACKSON.

STOCK CAR.

(Application filed Sept. 3'0, 1897.)

(No Model.)

I a r a az/wj ac/asorf UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

JOHN TYLOR JACKSON, OF CRAWFORD, NEBRASKA.

STOCK-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 1\l'o. 618,986, datedFebruary 7, 1899. Application filed September 30,1897. Serial No.653,586. (No model.)

To an whom it may concern:

Be itknown that 1, JOHN TYLOR J AOKSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Crawford, in the county of Dawes and State of Nebraska, haveinvented a new and useful Stock- Car, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to stock-cars, and has for its object to provide ina double-deck stock-car simple and efficient means for feeding the stockon route, the facility with which feed and Water can be introduced beingequivalent for both decks of the car, and the parts being so arranged asto occupy but a small portion of the floor-space of the car.

A further object of the invention is to provide feed-racks of removableconstruction, and also to provide a receptacle or storagerack adapted tocontain removable floor-. planks when the racks are in operativeposition and to contain the rack-bars when the latter are not in use,whereby the car is adapt- 'ed to be used either-with or without thefeedracks.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, ofa stock-car constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section of a portion of the car. Fig. 3 is a transversesection on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawlngs.

The form of stock-car to which my invention is particularly applicableis that known as a double-decker, designed for shipping small stock,such as sheep, the upper andlower decks 1 and 2 being accessible throughindependent door-openings closed by a door 3, and the side and end wallsof the car being of open or slatted construction, as in the ordinarypractice.

At a suitable point or points in the floor of the upper deck are formedopenings 1, and contiguous to the edges of these openings and alinedtherewith on the lower deck are formed keepers, either by providingopenings 5 in the floor, as illustrated in the drawings, in connectionwith the lower deck or by providing suitably-attached keepers or notchedbars 5, as shown, at the upper floor and near the top of the car. Thesekeepers are designed for the reception of vertical. rackbars findependent construction, which are adapted to be introduced downwardlythrough the alined keepers by insertion through a suitablefeed-receiving opening 7 in the roof of the car, the running-board 8 atthe top of the car being provided with a removable section 8, which ishinged 'to the contiguous portion of the car-roof and is adapted to befolded back, as illustrated in the drawings, to allow the introductionof feed into the space inclosed by the rack-bars.

In the construction illustrated two racks are shown in the car atintermediate points; but it is obvious that this number may be eitherincreased or decreased,accordin g to the requirements and preferences ofthe builder or shipper. The door formedby the removable section of therunning-board is provided with a depending reduced portion 9, adapted tobear upon the upper extremities of the rack-bars and hold the latter ina fixed position in the seats or keepers provided for their reception. Ipreferably provide in connection with each car a plurality of planks 10,adapted to fit in the openingsin the floor thereof, and when therack-bars are in use these planks are arranged in a storage-rack formedby transverse timbers 11, arranged contiguous to the roof of the car andterminally accessible through openings closed by doors 12 or theirequivalent. When it is desired to dispense with the feed-racks, therack-bars may be arranged in this storage-rack, being introduced througheither end opening, while the planks may be fitted'in the openings inthe floor, said openings having rabbeted edges to provide seats for theremovable floor-planks. The doors 12 close upwardly, being hinged to thefloor of the rack, and-their upper or free edges are engaged when closedby the depending projections 9 of the roof-doors 8.

The water-troughs 14 preferably extend around the side and end walls ofthe car at such an elevation as to be above the plane of the backs ofthe sheep or other stock, and thus occupy no portion of the floor-space,while being within reach of the stock, said troughs being fixed to thewalls, and hence accessible for filling through the openings between theslats of the w'alls.

The advantage of a construction whereby stock, and particularly smallstock, may be watered and fed without removal from the car resides inthe saving of time required to remove and replace the stock and also inthe fact that there is less danger to the stock, and hence lessliability of shrinkage in the cargo, and also that there is less expensein connection with shipping stock, whereas the additional expensenecessary to equip a stockcar with the improvements herein described iscomparatively small. It will be seen, furthermore, that feed, such ashay or the equivalent thereof, introduced through the opening in the topof the car passes by one operation to a point accessible from the lowerdeck as well as from the upper deck, thus avoiding the inconvenience andloss of time occasioned by depositing feed by different operations inreceptacles located within reach of the occupants of the differentdecks. The construction provides a well which communicates with bothdecks, and the filling of the well supplies the occupants of both decks.In order, however, to prevent hay or similar feed belonging to the upperdeck from passing down to the lower, 1 may arrange a removablesupporting-bar 15 in one or more of the wells, as shown in Fig. 1 and atthe left in Fig. 2. Feed for the lower deck may be pushed down belowthis bar, but will not pass the same without pressure.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. Astock-carofdouble-deck construction, having its upper fioor provided with anopening, and an open-sided rack bounding a space alined and coextensivewith said opening and extending from the lower deck to and accessiblethrough an opening in the roof of the car, substantially as specified.

2. A stock-car of double-deck construction, having its upper floorprovided with an opening and contiguous keepers alined with keepers onthe lower floor, and continuous rackbars removablyfitted in the upperand lower alined keepers to inclose a space alined and coextensive withsaid fioor-opening and extending from the lower floor to and accessiblethrough an opening in the roof of the car, substantially as specified.

3. Astock-car of double-deck construction, having its upper floorprovided with an openhaving its upper floor provided with an opening,planks adapted to be removably fitted in said floor-opening, ahorizontally-accessible storage-rack adapted to support the floorplanks, and rack-bars removably fitted in keepers on the upper and lowerfloors, and extending from the lower floor to the roof to inclose aspace alined with said floor-opening, substantially as specified.

5. The herein-described stock-car of dou ble-deck construction havingits upper floor and roof provided with vertically=alined openings, andhaving its running=board provided with a removable section forming adoor whereby the roof=opening is normally closed, aterminally-accessible storage-rack consist= ing of transverse beamsarranged contiguous to the roof of the car, and independent rackbarsremovably, fitted in vertically=alined keepers arranged contiguous tothe fioor and roof openings and adapted to be introduced through theroof-openin g, said slats extending continuously from the lower floor tothe roof, substantially as specified.

6. A stock-car of double-deck construction, having its upper floor androof provided with alined openings, the roof-opening being fitted with amovable-door, a terminally-accessible storage-rack arranged contiguousto the roof of the car and with one end adjacent to said roof-opening, adoor closing said adjacent end of the storage-rack and locked in itsclosed position by an overlapping portion of the door in saidroof-opening, and independent rack= bars removably fitted in alinedkeepers arranged contiguous to said floor and roof openings andextending continuously from the lower floor to the roof, substantiallyasspecified.

7. A stock-car of double-deck construction having its upper fioor androof provided with alined openings, and having its running-boardprovided with a removable section forming a door, whereby theroof-opening is normally closed, independent rack-bars fitted in alinedkeepers arranged contiguous to the floor and roof openings and extendingcontinuously from the lower floor to the roof, a depending projection onsaid roof-door to bear against the upper ends of the rack-bars and holdthem in their normal or depressed positions, a terminally-accessiblestorage-rack arranged contiguous to the roof of the car with one end myown I have hereto affixed my signature in adjacent to said roof-opening,and a hinged the presence of two witnesses. door closing the end openingof the storage- I rack, said projection on the roof-door being JOHNTYLOR JACKSON 5 in the path of the free edge of said hinged Witnesses:

door, substantially as specified; I R. G. SMITH,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as CHAS. F. ADAMS.

